clendenin



Dec. 31, 1935.

E. H. CLENDENIN SYSTEM OF PRODUCING STEAM AND WATER Filed March 6, 1934w L Q ./Patented Dec. 3l, 1935 N UNITED sur SYSTEM F PRODUCING STEAM ANDWATER f Application March 6,

2 Claims.

This invention relates to the production of steam and water for refinerypurposes.

The invention will be fully understood from the following descriptiontaken in connection 5 with the accompanying drawing, in which latter thegure is a diagrammatic representation of a.` preferred form of apparatusfor carrying out the invention.

Referring particularly to the drawing, reference numeral designates acondenser box, tar cooler or the like containing a coil 2 through whichhot oil or vapor from a petroleum oil refining operation is passed. Thecondenser box may be a plurality of heat exchangers used in cooling oilor vapor in the operation of refining petroleum oil. The hot oil orvapor is cooled by means of water such as salt water, which may bepassed into the heat exchanger I from a line 4 containing a pump 5 andhaving its inlet end opening into the water of the ocean designated 1.The sale water in passing through the heat exchanger I becomes heated toan elevated temperature, such as from, approximately, 160 to 212 F., andis delivered from the heat exchanger I through a line 8. .1

'I'he hot salt water passing through the line 8 is delivered to anevaporator ||l in uniform quan,- tities to be subjected to flashevaporation through the following arrangement of parts. The line 8 opensinto a stand pipe where the hot salt water is permitted to accumulate toa predetermined level at indicator I2. A waste line I4 leading from thestand pipe at level I2 conducts excess salt water to a suitable place ofdisposal such as the ocean 1. A line I6 leads from the stand pipe belowthe level I2 and opens into the evaporator I0. The salt water and vaporsfrom the line I6 are drawn into evaporator I0 at substantially constantvolume being regulated by the constant head AI2 in the stand pipe II,thus resulting in a substantially constant transformation of the liquidinto vapor during the evaporatlngaoperation. A drain line I9 leads fromthe stand pipe to a suitable place of disposal.

Evaporator ||l is subjected to lower than atmospheric pressures suicientto flash a portion of the salt water into vapor. During this flashingoperation the major portion of the salt water remains in liquidform andbecomes chilled.- This major fraction or unevaporated portion of thesalt water is delivered from the' evaporator I0 through a tail pipe orbarometric column 2|. The barometric column 2| communicates through avalve 22 with a pump 23 which delivers the cold major fraction of thesalt water through a line 1934, Serial N0. 714,275

(Cl. 202-52l 24 into the line 4 to be mingled with fresh salt waterpassing into the. heat exchanger I. Ex-

cess portions of the major fraction can be Withdrawn from the barometriccolumn 2| through a valved tail pipe 25 to a suitable place of disposal,such as the ocean 1.

Y The evaporator I0 is subjected to lower than atmospheric pressures bythe following arrangement of parts. The cooled minor fraction isconducted through an overhead line 30 to a condenser 3| where the vaporis condensed. The condenser 3| is cooled by a suitable cooling fluid,such as sea Water, pumped into the condenser 3| through a line 32 anddischarged from the condenser 3| through a line 33. The condensate iswithdrawn from the condenser 3| through a line 35 containing a pump 36and is delivered to a steam boiler 38 where the condensate is convertedinto steam. Fresh feed water may be supplied to the boiler as desired bymeans of the valved line 49. The steam is conducted from the boiler 38into a steam header 39 common to other boilers. A portion'of the steamin header 39 is passed into a. steamA jet air eductor or vacuum pump 4|.This air eductor or vacuum pump 4| communicates with the condenser 3|through a line 43. The air and other non-condensibles are removed fromthe condenser 3| through the line 43, thereby generating less thanatmospheric pressure within the condenser 3|. 'Ihe steam from the steamjet air eductor 4| and non-condensibles from condenser 3| are passedfrom the eductor 4| through a cooler 45 in which the steam iscondensedand returned to the condenser 3| through line 41, the air andnon-condensibles being discharged to the atmosphere. The excess steamfrom the steam header 39 is delivered for refinery use through valve 48.To start the equipment the vacuum pump 4| isactuated to evacuate thecondenser 3|, conduit 30 and evaporator I0. Thenon-condensibles areeliminated from the condenser 3| during the operating period. Whensunicient'vacuum has been obtained in the evaporator I0, the salt waterflows from line I6 into the evaporator I9. The minor fraction becomesflashed and passes through the conduit 30 to the condenser 3| at theexpense of the sensible heat of the major fraction which leaves theevaporator |0 by the barometric tube 2 |V at a lower temperature thanthe entering feed water passing through line I6.

By the procedure described, fresh water and cooled circulating water areobtained for petroleum oil renery purposes from warm waste feed waterwithout the addition of heat by flashing the waste feed water atsub-atmospheric pres.

sures, and steam also for oil renery purposes, is produced as a product.

Various changes and alternative arrangements may be made within thescope of the appended claims, in which it is my intention to claim allnovelty inherent in the invention as broadly as the prior art permits.

I claim:

1. The method of producing steam for petroleum oil refinery purposes,which comprises passing salt water in heat exchange with petroleum oilin an oil renery operation whereby the water is heated, ashing theheated water at less than atmospheric pressures to obtain a cooled minorfraction of vapors and a cooled major fraction of unvaporized water,separating the cooled minor fraction as an overhead product, condensingthe overhead, withdrawing thecondensed overhead heating the sametogetherwith fresh feed water to generate steam, and returning a portionof the steam to suitable eductors or vacuum pumps to removenoncondensibles from the zone of subatmospheric pressures therebyestablishing and maintaining the sub-atmospheric pressures.

2. The method of producing steam and water for refinery purposes, whichcomprises passing salt water in heat exchange with petroleum oil 5 in anoil refinery operation, whereby the water is heated, ashing the heatedwater at less than atmospheric pressures to obtain a cooled minorfraction of vapors and a cooled major fraction of unvaporized water,separating. the cooled minor 10 fraction as an overhead product,condensing the overhead, withdrawing the condensed overhead heating thesame together with fresh feed water to generate steam,'returnng aportion of the steam to suitable eductos or vacuum pumps to 15 removenon-condensibles from the zone of subatmospheric pressures therebyestablishing and maintaining the sub-atmospheric pressures, andseparating the cooled major fraction from the hashing zone and returningit to the heat ex- 20 exchanger. r

EDWARD H. CLEN'DENIN.

